Long Island Cycling
You can find LIBC at the website www.bicyclelongisland.org, but there are many more groups working alongside LIBC, including an organization called Concerned Long Island Bicyclists or CLIMB. This is an incorporated, non-profit group that focuses on mountain biking. CLIMB organizes work parties to clean and maintain the trails the group rides on. The work parties are held on weekends during the biking season, and after the maintenance work there is a group ride. CLIMB doesn’t require membership for the work parties and ride after, which are held in areas including Stillwell Woods, Rocky Point and Cathedral Pines. CLIMB can be found on the web at www.climbonline.org. The Suffolk Bicycle Riders Association is Long Island’s largest cycling club. This group started in 1977, and since then the group has grown to a large operation sponsoring as many as eighty bike rides in a single month at the height of the season. SBRA divides its riders into categories, graded by how fast and how long a rider is comfortable going. There are categories for everyone from beginning riders who need frequent stops to highly experienced and fit cyclists who can hit the upper ends of the cruising speed and distance averages. The group conducts monthly meetings at the New Village Recreation Center in Centereach. The center is located at the intersection of Wireless Road and Hawkins Road, just east of Nicolls Road [CR97]). Meetings are held on the first Thursday of every month at 7:30pm. Of course, not all cyclists are content with group rides and leisurely fun. Some crave the excitement and encouragement of a training environment, with goals and competitions to look forward to as the payoff for that training. That’s where the GBSC racing team comes in. This organization has been in existence for seventy-five years and is billed as the East Coast’s longest running racing club. The acronym GBSC originally stood for the German Bicycle Sports Club when it was formed in 1927, but today GBSC welcomes anyone who is serious about bicycle racing. There is a staff of experienced rides to help newcomers, and there are a wide variety of ride schedules. GBSC training rides are every Saturday and Sunday from Exit 32-- the South Side of the Long Island Expressway at Little Neck Parkway Triangle. These rides start at 8:30AM. Riders may join this group in progress at the Long Island Expressway and Post Avenue (Steel Hill) at 8:55, or at the LI Expressway Service Road and Woodbury Road around 9:05. There are many more rides to choose from, and you can see schedules online at http://www.bicyclelongisland.org/gbsc/. Riders take note: these rides are usually between twenty and twenty three miles per hour for at least thirty-five miles. These are not for beginners, and the group doesn’t stop for stragglers or flat tires. Long Island has a wide variety of terrain for the serious cyclist and beginner alike. Cycling happens on LI year round, with many people ignoring the weather conditions in order to get their miles in. If you decide to try some cold weather LI cycling, be sure to stay hydrated, keep warm, and above all, check out the information available online about cold weather bicycling at http://www.faqs.org/faqs/bicycles-faq/part4/section-46.html. Those who love pedaling on the road or in the mountains will find plenty of company, advice and assistance in their search for great Long Island Cycling. Additional resources may be found for Long Island cyclists at http://www.webscope.com/li/cycling.html. You may also find help at http://www.nycc.org. While not strictly a Long Island resource, you can find out about activities in the greater NY area, as well as excellent links to information such as first aid, cold weather safety, ride leader guidelines, bicycle tuning, and bike log tips. Joe Wallace
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Cycling fans take note — Long Island has many resources for you, starting with the Long Island Bicycle club. This group, noting the beautiful expanse of LI’s one hundred and thirty miles, has organized regular outings to experience the joys of the ride combined with great scenery. In addition, the LIBC has a serious effort going as a lobby organization. The LIBC petitioned the government of New York State to include considerations for bicycle and pedestrian traffic in its regional transportation plan. Long Islanders who love cycling definitely have an active voice in the LIBC. 